By Andy Taylor
LABETTE AVENUE
A Labette County native and resident will be in Lawrence on Saturday night to accept induction into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame.
Vernon Sandusky of Edna will represent the band Bobby Poe and the Poe-Kats, which is among the inductees for the hall’s class of 2009. Sandusky was one of the original members of the four-man group, which got its start in Coffeyville in 1957.
Bobby Poe and the Poe-Kats made a meteoric rise in the rock n’ roll scene — cutting their teeth in dance halls and bars in Montgomery and Labette counties before getting a contract to perform as the backup group to rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson in 1958.
“Jim Halsey made the call to Bobby Poe that he needed a group to perform for Wanda Jackson,” said Sandusky from his Edna home on Monday night. “Our group was known for being among the originators of the rockabilly sound. So, it was a good move. But, let me tell you: traveling with Wanda Jackson was a pretty big deal for a kid from the sticks. We went all over the country with Wanda. We made a pretty big jump — from the Casa Del in South Coffeyville to playing on stage with Wanda Jackson in California.”
With Bobby Poe and the Poe-Kats on stage, Wanda Jackson belted out a unique sound that put her on course to being a diva of rock n’ roll. “Let’s Have A Party” was her signature song, which her boyfriend, Elvis Presley, encouraged her to record with the Poe-Kats serving as the background musicians.
However, by 1960, Bobby Poe and the Poe-Kats were going in different directions. Big Al Downing went on his own road into country music. Sandusky started a group called The Chartbusters which had Poe as its manager and co-producer. Ironically, The Chartbusters were considered a big hit during the British Invasion era of rock n’ roll. The group had a chart-soaring hit — “She’s The One” — that was a top 40 climber in 1964 and got the group ample airtime on AM radio across the nation. “She’s The One” was recorded for a whopping $45 in a Washington, D.C., studio . . . but that album sold more than 1 million singles — putting the Poe-led Sandusky band in the same level of stardom as Elvis and the Beatles.
The group even performed on Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand,” where they temporarily stole the spotlight from other British Invasion groups, such as the Rolling Stones.
However, when the British music wave was over, the Chartbusters were relegated to AM radio’s dust bin. Sandusky went on to become a guitarist for country music star Roy Clark. Poe went on to manage other groups and also entered the world of publishing as the originator of “Bobby Poe’s Pop Music Survey.” Those surveys evolved into an annual convention of country and pop music celebrities, who wined, dined and played golf in benefit tournaments. Those Poe-led conventions and annual parties were a must-go for musicians and celebrities in the music industry before Poe finally retired in 1994.
Poe wanted to live a quiet life when he retired to Grove, Okla., 15 years ago. While he has maintained contact with former musicians and friends in the music industry, he has spent recent months facing the biggest battle of his life: throat cancer.
The reason Sandusky will accept the award at Saturday’s hall induction ceremony on behalf of the band is because Poe will not be in attendance. The one-time musician can no longer carry a tune, let alone speak. His gravelly, gurgling voice is an entire galaxy from the smooth baritone who belted out “Rock and Roll Record Girl” 50 years ago.
And, the throat cancer he now endures is the result of inhaling fumes in smoke-filled concert halls and dance clubs for many years. Poe says he is a victim to second-hand smoke. He never smoked a cigarette during his years as a rock n’ roller. He didn’t need to, he said. Those countless days and nights spent in dance halls, honkytonks, and private clubs turned into months and years. And, the endless cycle of performing in smoky concert halls forced Poe to inhale everyone else’s cigarette smoke.
Poe says he is saddened that he cannot make Saturday’s hall induction ceremony.
“I can’t talk much, and I can’t sing,” he said, his voice breaking. “I’m afraid I would be an embarrassment.”
But an embarrassment is not what the board of directors of the Kansas Music Hall of Fame thought when they named Bobby Poe and the Poe-Kats to be among the Kansas-bred musicians to enshrined into the hall for 2009. Instead, they chose music groups whose style of music opened new doors and new genres.
Ironically, Saturday night’s hall of fame induction also will include the enshrinement of Jim Halsey, the Independence native who signed Bobby Poe and the Poe-Kats to their first big deal as Wanda Jackson’s backup group in 1958. Halsey will be inducted into the hall for his 50-plus years as a country music manager. During his career, Halsey has led such performers as Roy Clark, The Judds, Reba McEntire, Clint Black, James Brown, Roy Orbison and more. Halsey also continues his 35-year management relationship with the Oak Ridge Boys. In his later careers, Halsey has put his work into education by establishing a music and entertainment business program at Oklahoma City University.
Another group with Labette County roots also will be enshrined in the hall on Saturday night. The Sensational Showmen included members from the Parsons and Pittsburg areas and will be in attendance at the induction ceremony.
Also to be honored at the event or inducted into the music hall will be Lee McBee, Lawrence; Danny Cox, Kansas City; The Dinks, Beloit; Shooting Star, Kansas City; Billy Spears, Lawrence; The Young Raiders, Lawrence; and The Serfs, Lawrence/Wichita.
